I will try not to get on a soap box about this but there appeared to be excessive violations of people's 4th amendment during the Boston lockdown. I understand it was a special circumstance but does that mean people instantly lose their rights?

I had no problem with them suggesting people stay indoors or doing the whole 20 block lock down thing. I dont feel someone's rights are violated by being asked to stay indoors while a armed person is on the loose in their neighborhood. That just seems like good sense.

But when they bring out military forces/vehicles *with a velcro police patch on their back* and start doing door to door searches without people's consent.....you have to step back and think about what is going on there. These were not friendly knock on the door and ask if we can look around type searches from what I saw.
So some scumbag did some horrible things down the road from where you live. Does that mean police are allowed to storm into your home and search it room by room without a warrant even if someone *refuses* to allow them in?

Those officers cannot go into a home with your bong on the table and turn a blind eye to it. They are obligated to act on plain sight offenses like that. So now you have minor convictions as the result of a warrantless search. It will get thrown out of court but none the less a person's rights have been violated.

So that is some food for thought. I am not up in arms about it or losing any sleep but I think it shows just how far government agencies will go when they feel the need to do so.